Why a French director remade his own hit film for American audiences in 1989
In short: Francis Veber, the mastermind behind the French comedy Les Fugitifs, brought his vision to Hollywood with Three Fugitives. Starring Nick Nolte and Martin Short, this 1989 remake follows a bank robber forced to team up with an incompetent amateur. It is a study in cross-cultural adaptation and the complexities of cinematic chemistry.
The origins of Three Fugitives trace back to 1985, when director Francis Veber initiated a contractual relationship with Walt Disney Pictures. Jeffrey Katzenberg had secured the remake rights to Veber’s French film Les Fugitifs even before the original production had finished. Veber, who had previously declined directing duties on the film Big Business because he preferred collaborating with American writers, ultimately took the helm for this American adaptation.
The plot centers on Daniel Lucas, a veteran criminal just released from prison, who is taken hostage by Ned Perry, a desperate amateur robbing a bank to fund medical treatment for his mute daughter, Meg. The police, led by Detective Marvin Dugan, assume Lucas is the mastermind due to his criminal history. What follows is a series of chaotic misadventures, including a stint with a senile veterinarian, a failed attempt to buy fake passports, and a daring rescue mission at a care home.
Filming took place between April 4 and July 20, 1988, across locations including Seattle, Tacoma, and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Despite grossing over $11.9 million in its first two weeks, the film faced significant critical backlash. Critics frequently pointed to outdated humor, excessive profanity, and violence. Variety noted that while the premise was clever, the pairing of Nolte and Short lacked the necessary chemical spark, with Nolte serving as a gruff straight man to Short’s frantic comedy.
The film concludes with a cyclical irony: after successfully crossing the border into Canada, Perry is taken hostage by a new bank robber in the exact manner he originally abducted Lucas. This unexpected twist forces Lucas to abandon his plans to leave and instead stay to navigate the unfolding situation. The project remains a notable example of a director attempting to translate his own specific brand of French comedy into the American studio system.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Three Fugitives
- Also: Wikidata — Three Fugitives · CC0
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